(Image source from: Korean Central News Agency)
The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, might pick his daughter Kim Ju Ae as the next leader, according to South Korean lawmakers who shared this information on Thursday following a briefing from a spy agency. There are rumors that Kim Jong Un is working to make the teenager the fourth leader of the nation. After a private meeting from South Korea's National Intelligence Agency (NIS), South Korean politician Lee Seong-kweun told the press, “Previously, the NIS referred to Kim Ju Ae as being 'in study as successor', but today they indicated she 'was in the stage of being internally appointed successor'. ” The NIS will be carefully observing if Kim Ju Ae goes to the meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday and how she is introduced at the event, including any titles she might receive, as reported by Reuters. Very little information is available about the girl, who is thought to be 13 years old. She first came to public attention in 2013 when American basketball player Dennis Rodman made a controversial visit to North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. He later mentioned to The Guardian, “I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim's wife) as well. ”
Experts believe that Kim Jong Un has three children, and Ju Ae is the second one, but this hasn't been confirmed. The first time the teenager appeared in public was in 2022 during the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. She has been photographed with her father at many government events since then. In January, Kim Ju Ae was seen with her father at the test launch of a large- caliber multiple-rocket launch system. In September, she reportedly took her first trip outside the country, traveling with Kim Jong Un on an armored train to Beijing to attend a military parade hosted by Xi Jinping. The young girl usually wears her hair long, which is not allowed for other girls in North Korea. Kim Ju Ae has been seen in fashionable clothes that most people in her country cannot afford, according to the BBC.
Experts and North Korean defectors have previously doubted the possibility of a woman leading North Korea due to the country’s strong traditional views on gender roles. However, Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, stands out as an exception. She currently holds an important position in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It is also uncertain why Kim Jong Un, who still seems to be in good health, is naming his teenage daughter as his successor. Since North Korea became a country in 1948, it has always been led by male members of the Kim family, starting with founder Kim Il-sung, followed by his son Kim Jong-il and grandson Kim Jong Un.
